Set up auto-correction and add words to your spelling dictionary in Pages, Numbers, and Keynote

Automatically check spelling, set up automatic text replacements, add words to the spelling dictionary, and more on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Turn on auto-correction on your device:

On Mac, open Pages, Numbers, or Keynote, then click the app name from the toolbar, then choose Preferences. Choose Auto-Correction.

On iPhone or iPad, open Pages, Numbers, or Keynote then tap > Auto-Correction.

Use the auto-correction settings to customize how Pages, Numbers, and Keynote handle spelling and formatting by selecting and deselecting the available options. These options include:

Detecting lists

Detecting links

Applying link styles

Applying superscript to number suffixes

Formatting fractions

Using Smart Quotes, which replace single and double quotes with curly quotes or your chosen quote style.

If you are using iCloud Keychain, each app’s settings are shared across all your Apple products signed into your iCloud account.

Some options might also be available in other menus within iWork. If you change a setting in another menu, it changes your auto-correction settings too. Some iWork settings are similar to other iOS or macOS settings. In most cases, the settings you choose in Pages, Numbers, or Keynote override the iOS or macOS setting. Learn how to set up text replacement on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac.

Set up custom text replacements for iWork

With text replacements, you can use shortcuts to replace longer phrases. When you enter the shortcut in a text field, the phrase automatically replaces it.

In the auto-correction settings for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, you can set up text replacement specifically for use within iWork.

On your Mac, open the auto-correction settings. Under Replacement, make sure "Symbol and text substitution" is selected, then click .

If Pages, Numbers, or Keynote replaces the text, and you want to restore it to the way you typed it in, press Command-Z on your keyboard or tap the Undo button .

Auto-correction is available for languages that your Mac is set up to spell check. To see these languages, go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Text and click the Spelling pop-up menu. Click "Set Up" to learn how to add spelling dictionaries for additional languages. On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, auto-correction is not available for all languages.

Add words to the spelling dictionary

When Pages, Numbers, or Keynote detects a word it doesn’t recognize, it underlines the word with a dotted red line. You can add the word to the dictionary on your device used by iWork and other apps so that it recognizes the word and includes it in spell check:

On iPad or iPhone, tap the underlined word, then tap Learn Spelling (you may need to tap Replace first).

On Mac, Control-click the word, then choose Learn Spelling.

On Mac, you can also choose Ignore Spelling if you no longer want Pages, Numbers, or Keynote to mark this word as misspelled. To add, edit, or remove the words in your iWork app's Ignored Words list, choose Pages > Preferences, choose Auto-Correction, then click Ignored Words. Click add button or the remove button to add or remove words. Or click on a word to edit the its spelling.